Friday, June 16, 2006 - We had planned on exploring the east arm of Glacier Bay and Wachusett Inlet, the only one open to motorized vessels, and return to North Sandy Cove. We pulled up anchor at 10:30am and headed out into the bay. The weather had dramatically changed and there were 15-20 knot winds with 3-4 foot seas and rain and was it was forecasted to be the same for the next few days. We decided to shorten our stay and headed south out of the bay and back into Icy Straits. As we passed by Bartlett Cove we called the Park Service and notified them that we were leaving Glacier Bay (required) and our permit was through Sunday, June 18th but we were leaving early. This would would free up the space for any vessel looking for last minute entry. Just as we rounded Point Gustavus and were leaving park boundaries, we saw the whales that were still "hanging out" outside of the park. We had originally planned on heading west into Cross Sound and explore the Lisianski Strait and take the "outside" route of Chichagof Island to Sitka. Before we left Juneau, Bob sat down with Mike Mills, Kelly Bay, and went over the route noting the preferred anchorages. Given the forecast of 20 knot winds and 5 foot seas in Cross Sound and small craft warnings from Cape Spencer to Cape Edgecumbe for the the next few days we decided to set a course for the east side of Chicagof Island and headed for Hoonah. Arrived in Hoohah at 2:45pm and were able to grab one of the last spaces on the transient dock. We found AnnaRuth tied up across from us and caught up with Jake and Susanne Maizel who we last saw in Petersburg. They just got a last minute entry permit into Glacier Bay and were leaving early in the morning. As the rain was returning, we stayed on the boat and opted for a pasta dinner and a night of reading.
Saturday, June 17, 2006 - We woke to grey and overcast skies and decided to take a tour of the town. Hoonah is the largest Tlingit settlement in Southeast Alaska and it name means "village by the cliff". It is the ancestral village of the Huna people of the Tlingit tribe. The Alaska State Ferry stops here and some cruise ships are making Hoonah a destination stop. We were also able to access the internet on high tide and I was able to get caught up on correspondence and post to the web page.
Sunday, June 18, - Wednesday, June 21, 2006 - Left Hoonah at 6:30am hoping that North Chatham Strait would be somewhat calm in the early morning (forecast was for 3-4 foot seas). We are heading south to Tenakee Inlet which is known for its crabbing and fishing. As we rounded Point Sophia back into Icy Strait we found our first pod of whales feeding in the shallows and of course did not have our camera nearby. When we rounded Point Augusta into Chatham Strait, the weather was windy and wet and we had somewhat of a bumpy ride down to Tenakee Inlet. We arrived at Tenakee Springs at 12:45pm and tied to the transient dock. We met up again with Fireworks, who we first saw in Swanson Harbor, and formally introduced ourselves over cocktails. Dick and Gail Wheaton were traveling with their friends Jack and Joan Northrup and had been part of the Grand Banks Alaska Tour. Their boat Fireworks was the new Grand Banks 44, hull #7, and this was their shake down cruise. It turns out that they were from Newport Beach, CA and resided not far from where we once lived (small world encounter). I also made friends with the crab boat across from us and traded the guys some fresh baked brownies for crabbing locations and some chum salmon for crab bait. Tenakee Springs is a small community of about 100 summertime residents many who are from Juneau. The main "road" from the dock to town is a six foot wide dirt road. There are no cars or trucks in the community other than some construction equipment. The residents get around by bicycle, golf carts and ATV's. The beach homes range from shacks to new construction some that have been passed from generation to generation. I really enjoyed talking to the residents and sharing in their very relaxed and laidback lifestyle. The town is centered around a hot springs and a public bath house is located across from the general store. The Alaska State ferry stops here and there is float plane service to and from Juneau.
We left Tenakee Springs on Monday and headed to Crab Bay for to catch crabs. We were also going to drop our shrimp pots in Tenakee Inlet. When we arrived in Crab Bay we found only two other boats and about 100 commercial crab pots. We managed to find a spot for our trap and were rewarded with crab dinners, two nights in a row as well as another bear sighting. The wind and rain returned and we were anchored deep into Crab Bay so we decided to forgo the shrimp pots. We were unable to get any VHF weather in the bay so we ventured back out to the inlet on Wednesday to see what it was like. It was miserable so we tied up again to the dock at Tenakee Springs to wait for better conditions.
Thursday, June 22, 2006 - Left Tenakee Springs at 5:00am and headed down Chatham Strait to Peril Strait with a planned destination of Appleton Cove in Rodman Bay on the east side of Baranof Island. We planned to spend the night and catch the early slack at Sergius Narrows. Chatham was again a bumpy ride and we were pleasantly surprised with Peril strait, is was smooth as glass so we decided to make a long day of it and slow down and make the afternoon slack at Sergius. We cruised at 5 knots and were burning less than 4 gallons of fuel per hour. We worked our way though Neva and Olga straits and arrived at Sitka at 4:30pm.